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Art Friday: Greta Guzek
I love colour and that is the reason why I was attracted to these - they are so bright, cheerful and bold.

Great completed a Fine Arts Degree in South Africa where she grew up, and then moved in 1980 to Vancouver working as a designer and illustrator. Since 1990 Greta has lived and worked as a painter and art instructor from her studio in Gibsons.
If you want to look at more of her works, her website is: http://gretaguzekpaintings.com

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Lend Me Your Hope I seem to have mislaid mine (Author Unknown) Lend me your hope for a while, I seem to have mislaid mine. Lost and hopeless feelings accompany me
daily, pain and confusion are my companions. I know not where to turn. Looking ahead to future times does not bring forth images of renewed
hope. I see troubled times, pain-filled days, and more tragedy. Lend me your hope for a while, I seem to have mislaid mine. Hold my hand and hug me; listen to all my ramblings, recovery seems so far distant. The road to healing seems like a long and lonely one. Lend me your hope for a while, I seem to have mislaid mine. Stand by me, offer me your presence, your heart and your love. Acknowledge my pain, it is so real and ever present. I am overwhelmed with sad and confl…

Something unusual happened to me at the supermarket the other day. The place was packed and people were anxious to grab what they wanted and get away. As I waited my turn at a plastic bag dispenser, the elderly woman ahead of me tore off a bag and, instead of keeping it to herself, offered it to me with a smile.The gesture was spontaneous and completely unexpected. I know it sounds piffling, but this minor moment put a shine on the day. As I went about my shopping I found myself being more thoughtful of others than is my usual state of mind in the free-for-all known as the supermarket. it was a simple demonstration of the therapeutic power of courtesy. I bet she felt just as pleased as I did.

(Source of quote: The Penguin Book of Etiquette by Marion Von Adlerstein)

The other day in Aldi I let a young girl go before me as she only had a couple of items (I think she was shopping for her mum) and I had a bag full. She looked surprised and happy, perhaps because not too many adults have s…

You may think this is an odd one to include in my random list (random lists are meant to be odd!!) - but I have always wanted an old wheelbarrow in my garden so I can grow flowers in it. I don't own one and I have never found a lovely looking old wheelbarrow. Aren't these all great examples. One day perhaps!! I could make one!! What do you think??

Australia has two young men on death row in Indonesia.
Their days are numbered and could be killed by firing squad at any time.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were part of a group of eight young men and one woman who attempted to smuggle 8kgs of drugs into Australia strapped to their bodies ten years ago. The Indonesian government were alerted by Australia law enforcement officers and they were captured at the airport in Bali on their way home to Australia. The ringleaders, Chan and Sukumaran were given the death penalty, the remaining members of the “Bali Nine” have been given between 20 years to life in prison.
There is no doubt of their guilt and they admit their wrong.
Many Australians find the death penalty abhorrent, I am one of those people. But this post isn't about the death penalty and whether it is right or wrong.
It is about forgiveness. These men have made terrible mistakes and need to pay for their crimes and they are. As the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, …

Art Friday: Karen Hollingsworth
This is an artist that really likes windows, chairs and curtains blowing in the wind. I have to say, I find these paintings very serene and peaceful and can just imagine the breeze blowing across my face from the sea.

Wouldn't it is nice to have a bed under the window and allowing the sea to rock you gently to sleep.

However one can see too many windows after a while - so I hope I haven't overdone the windows and curtain paintings!!
She also likes paper bags (who doesn't).
If you want to see more of Karen Hollingsworth's work, here is a LINK to her page.

Who am I?
I am a wife.
I am a mother.
I am a daughter.
I am a sister.
I am an aunt.
I am a niece.
I am a cousin.
I am a friend. I am many many things
Each one of these titles add up to make a whole - they are who I am as a person. I am not just "me" (whatever that might mean), I am far more than just that. We are the product of all our roles and it is these many roles that shape each one of us and makes us all different.

We are women of many hats. We wear many different hats as women. Each hat requires something different from us and impacts how we interact in our world with other people. Each has its own set of expectations and obligations. Each represents a piece of our divided self, with our many identities, which is often sliced up neatly like a Thanksgiving pie. We may be friend, daughter, girlfriend, sister, mother, wife, grandmother, counselor, career woman, pastor’s wife, student, coach, homemaker. With the endless possibilities of the many hats we wear, the Mad Hatte…

Of many Arts, one surpasses all. For the maiden seated at her work flashes the smooth balls and thousand threads into the circle, ... and from this, her amusement, makes as much profit as a man earns by the sweat of his brow, and no maiden ever complains, at even, of the length of the day. The issue is a fine web, which feeds the pride of the whole globe; which surrounds with its fine border cloaks and tuckers, and shows grandly round the throats and hands of Kings. Jacob van Eyck, 1651

I love lace and love wearing it on my clothes. Its feminine and beautiful and for that reason alone, women have been wearing it through the centuries. Essentially, there exist two kinds of lace: needlepoint lace and bobbin lace.

Needlepoint lace is made with a single-thread technique using embroidery stitches while bobbin lace, developed after needlepoint lace, was made with a variety of multiple-thread weaving techniques. The first known lacemaking pattern books came from 16th c. Italy.…

I don't think I need to remind any of you that "50 Shades of Grey" (book and movie) should be avoided . . . completely. It is pornography and as Christian women, we must stay away from this sort of literature. But what disturbs me even more is the fact that millions of women around the world love this book (over 100 million copies have been sold in 50 languages) and they find it erotic and exciting (many say it has improved their sex life no end), when the truth is . . . it glamorises sexual violence and tells men it is ok to dominate women in an abusive manner. “While millions of women are fantasizing about the controlling and abusive Christian Grey of fiction, there are many other women dealing with the horrors of actually living with men like him.” (source: Bible Society) Australia, like the USA and other countries around the world have a major problem with domestic violence. Some men think it is perfectly acceptable to emotionally, psychologically and physical abu…

Art Friday: All things pink
I like pink - its such a pretty feminine colour.
I'm not alone with my love of pink, millions of little girls around the world love pink also, however, sadly, the feminist movement frowns upon girls if they are "too pink".
I do wear pink, but it tends to be the deep strong pink rather than the pale soft pink that a baby might wear.
Are you a pink kind of girl?
Here is a bit of fun with PINK!!

Anyone who said that the bible is wishy-washy when it comes to instructions for Christian living have never read Romans 12:9 to 21.
It couldn't be clearer or simpler to understand.

*****Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do n…

Popular posts from this blog

Washing day
Wash on Monday,
Iron of Tuesday,
Mend of Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday.
Sometimes the ordinary and mundane have a quiet beauty we haven't really taken much notice of. Today's art is all about the washing on the line and some of these paintings are quite striking.

All quotes used today are by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Enjoy.

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

"Home is the nicest word there is"

"The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies"
And what happens after the washing is dry . . . the ironing!

One of the most popular topics among women Christian bloggers is the issue of whether women and girls should only wear skirts and dresses or is it ok to wear slacks/jeans. Some say Christian women should only wear skirts/dresses, others say it isn't a sin issue therefore it doesn't matter as long as the outfit remains modest. Others say skirts should be to the ground, others are happy at knee length. When you look across the blogs the responses are a mixed bag and it must be confusing to those women trying to decide which way to turn. So what do I think? This is my own personal convictions on the topic and I am not telling anyone else what to wear. I grew up wearing skirts/dresses almost exclusively. All the women in my family - young and old - wore skirts and dresses. I simply wasn't allow to wear anything different. I accepted this quite happierly as a child but as I got older (into my teens) it began to niggle me, partly because I began to stand out which wasn't s…

Art Friday: Susan Wheeler
Illustrator
Todays art is all about cute little mice and bunnies. I think they are adorable and I hope you do to. My favourite is the top one - I just wish I could join them for a cup of tea and scones!

Some families are well off, other families struggle financially, some have periods of poverty, others have burst of wealth. We are all different when it comes to how much money we bring in each week, how much money is in the bank or how big or small our debts are. We are all different, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. However I have noticed a growing trend among some Christian families to share with everyone how poor they are, how much they are struggling, how old the washing machine is or all the things they do without. In fact some bloggers activity encourage women to give up their jobs and return home and live in poverty as this is seen as the ultimate Christian sacrifice (interestingly I have seen this done by women who are so much more financially better off which even worse). Some families do exceptionally well on a very low income and others do very badly on a high income. However, what concerns me is the boastfulness of those who have chosen to live in poverty as if those who…

Who remembers free school milk?
I can.
And yuck . . . warm, creamy milk in glass bottles that tasted horrible.
Why were the bottles always left in the sun to get warm, especially in summer? They could sit for quite sometime until recess, some probably went slighly off!
And if you forgot to shake the bottle you got a mouth full of clumpy cream!
The programme started at the beginning of the 20th century with all children in kindergarten, infant and primary schools receiving free milk to improve their nutrition and general health. Between 1951 and 1973 the Commonwealth Schools’ Free Milk Scheme provided one third of a pint of whole milk per day to primary school children throughout Australia. The scheme ceased om 1973 but reintroduced in 1994.
Providing the milk had cost $72,000 in 1951, whereas it had grown in cost to just over $10 million in 1969. By 1970 the government was starting to wonder if the programme was producing any benefit, except turning children off milk. This document …